Mail-transferring device.



H. WEBER.

MAIL TRANSFERRING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-6. I915.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

INVENTOR MfMA W,

HENRY -WEBER, OF LANGLEY, WASHINGTON.

IVIAIL-TRANSFERRING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept.- 12, 1916.

Application filed October 6, 1915. Serial No. 54,331.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY WEBER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Langley, in the county of Skagit and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Transferring Devices, of which the following is a full, true, and exact specification.

My invention relates to mail transferring devices for use with railway trains and has for its principal object to generally improve upon devices of this general character by providing a device which effects an exchange of mail sacks between a train and station at practically the same time.

A further object is to provide a novel form of device for absorbing the shock of the mail bag as it is discharged from a rapidly moving train and to provide a receptacle for retainingsaid mail sack in a position protected from the weather.

Other objects will appear as my invention .is more fully explained in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my device, a part of which is attached to a fragment of a mail car and a cotiperating part set up at a station grounds. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation on line 00-0c of Fig. 1 with parts broken away. v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, numeral 1 indicates a supporting frame having a horizontal arm at the top. The bottom of frame 1 rests upon the ground or is fastened to a platform and may be ballasted with earth or stone. A cylinder 3 closed top and bottom is vertically and freely pinioned in frame 1 and arm 2 by pins 4. Cylinder 3 is cut away as at 5 to provide an opening to receive a mail sack. Positioned adjacent the ends of cylinder 3 and pivoted to pins 4 are swing ing arms 6 and 7 whichsupport a shaft 8 to which is secured a swinging gate 9 having outstanding parallel bars 10 projecting on either side. Limit stops 11 on arm 7, limit the movement of gate 9 and limit stops 12 limit the movement of swinging arms 6 and 7. Sack hooks 13 are swingably mounted upon shaft 8 and are provided with hooked ends 14 for retaining a mail sack 15. The part of my device which goes on the car includes a rack 16 hinged vertically at 17 in the door of a car 18. A bag crane is also hinged in the door of the car and consists of a pair of offset arms 19 pivoted at 20 and havinga' slidable connection, as at 21, with the rack 16. A bar 22 forms a limit stop for said connection. The crane is provided with sack hooks 23 for a sack 24 at their outer ends. "The rack 16 and crane 19 are swingable into the car door when not in use.

The operation of my device is as follows: The relative location and set-up of the car and transfer device is, as shown in Fig. 1 when the car is traveling in the direction opposite of the arrow'thereon' and the mail bags 15 and 24 are held in'place. The bag 24 is caught up by the gate'bars 10, lifted from the crane 19 and shot along the face of the gate into cylinder 3, the angle of deflection being such as to cause the bag to strike eccentrically of the cylinder which is started revolving by the impact of the bag and thus the impact is absorbed. The entire gate 9 and arms 6 and 7 may yield slightly under the impact of bag 24: but are preferably heavy enough to resist being thrown over to the left. The rack 16 catches the bag 15 as it passes and deflects it into the car door. For a train traveling in the opposite direction, the arms 6 and 7 are thrownto the left against stops 12 and the gate 16 is swung into a position corresponding to that shown except in an opposite direction and the cylinden is set with its opening ready to receive a bag. The sack hooks 13 have hook and eye fastening means 26 for rigidly fastening them to gate back 9 soas tohold the said sack in a similar position for a train going in either direction.

VVhileI have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit 10 to deflect the bag into the car; said bag holding means including offset arms, revolubly connected to said gate and means for rigidly connecting them to same; and the said crane including ofi'set arms pivoted in the car opening and slidably connected to the said deflecting means, whereby an exchange of mail bags may be made between a moving car and station.

HENRY WEBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Baton,

Washington, D. 0. 

